It is not that evangelicals advocate war in general. However, there is something in the evangelical worldview that, in contradiction to traditional Christian teachings regarding forgiveness and nonviolence, allows for far greater zeal for war, especially if the conflict is presented through a cosmic lens. (Think of the success that Ronald Reagan’s “Evil Empire” or George W. Bush’s “Axis of Evil” had in capturing the evangelical imagination.) To understand why this is the case requires a closer look at the roots of evangelicalism.
